Garment hanger support

ABSTRACT

A garment hanger comprising at its midpoint a shoulder bar having a holder consisting of two opposed, spring-pressed parts that cooperate to form a substantially closed loop surrounding the supporting bar. Cam means are provided on the abutting ends of the holder so that when pushed upwardly against the bar from below, the two holder parts are cammed apart to pass on opposite sides of the bar, and then close together above the bar to provide a bearing surface that overlies the top of the bar. A downward pull on the hanger causes the two parts of the holder to open up and slip down off the bar.

United States Patent Woodhull [451 May 30, 1972 GARMENT HANGER SUPPORT [21] Appl.No.: 55,710

248/339, 340, 226 C, 226 E, 316 D, 316 B [5 6] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 418,630 10/1934 Great Britain ..248/3 l 6 B Primary Examiner-Jordan Franklin Assistant E.raminerGeorge H. Krizmanich Attorney-Herbert E. Kidder ABSTRACT A garment hanger comprising at its midpoint a shoulder bar having a holder consisting of two opposed, spring-pressed parts that cooperate to form a substantially closed loop surrounding the supporting bar. Cam means are provided on the abutting ends of the holder so that when pushed upwardly against the bar from below, the two holder parts are cammed apart to pass on opposite sides of the bar, and then close together above the bar to provide a bearing surface that overlies the top of the bar. A downward pull on the hanger causes the two parts of the holder to open up and slip down off the bar.

1 Claim, 4 Drawing Figures PATENTEDMAY 30 m2 3, 66 6,149

I NVENTOR. Jaw/v K WOOD/10M.

/W EM GARMENT HANGER SUPPORT SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to garment hangers, and more particularly to a new and improved type of garment hanger having a holder which is coupled to the supporting bar, or pole, of a clothes closet, by merely pushing it upwardly against the bar. The holder has two opposed, spring-pressed parts that cooperate to form a closed loop surrounding the bar, the said parts opening at the top to pass the bar between them. Integrally formed with the parts are cam means engageable by the bar to open the holder and allow it to pass up over the bar on opposite sides thereof responsive to upward pressure of the holder against the bar. As the holder slips up over the bar, it closes over the top of the latter and becomes firmly attached thereto.

The primary object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved garment hanger that is more convenient and easy to use than conventional hangers with hook-type holders.

Another object of the invention is to provide a garment hanger which can be connected to the supporting bar by mere- Iy thrusting the holder upwardly against the bar from below, and which can be disconnected therefrom by pulling downwardly on the hanger.

A further object of the invention is to provide a garment hanger of the class described, which is simple and inexpensive to manufacture, and which can be sold at a price competitive with conventional hangers.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment thereof, with reference to the accompanying drawings.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. 1 is a front elevation of a garment hanger embodying the invention, showing the holder being pressed upwardly against the underside of a supporting pole;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary view, drawn to a somewhat larger scale, showing the two sides of the holder spread apart and passing upwardly on opposite sides of the bar; FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 2, showing the holder as it appears after closing over the top of the bar; and

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary elevational view of another embodiment of the invention, showing the holder positioned against the underside of the bar, just prior to being pushed upwardly.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT In FIGS. 1 to 3 of the drawings, the hanger of the invention is designated in its entirety by the reference numeral 10, and comprises a shoulder bar 12 having a holder 14 at its midpoint, which is adapted to be connected to a horizontally disposed supporting pole, or bar 16, of the type usually provided in clothes closets.

The shoulder bar 12 may be of any suitable material, but is herein shown as a molded plastic part having a cross-section generally similar to that of an I-beam, with a vertical web 18, top flange 20, and bottom flange 22. The shoulder bar 12 slopes downwardly on both sides of center, and is curved to simulate the contour of the human shoulders, so that garments supported on the hanger will drape naturally and hang free of wrinkles. Near the outer ends of the shoulder bar are notches 24, to receive the shoulder straps of women's dresses and undergarments, so as to keep them from slipping off the hanger. A transverse rod 26 extends across the bottom of the hanger, and its ends are secured in inwardly facing sockets 28 at the ends of the shoulder bar. A pair of laterally spaced spring clips 30 on the rod 26 provides means for clamping the waist band of a skirt to the hanger.

At the midpoint of the shoulder bar is a vertically disposed cylindrical portion 32, having a central bore 34, through which a rivet 36 passes. Rivet 36 projects beyond the bottom edge of the shoulder bar 12 and is headed at 38. The top end of the rivet passes through a hole in the center of the holder 14, and is headed at 40, providing a swivel connection for the holder.

The holder 14 embodies the heart of the invention. In FIGS. 1 to 3, the holder 14 comprises a thin strip 42 of spring steel that is bent into a substantially full circle, except for a flat spot 44 at its midpoint, where the holder is attached to the shoulder bar by n'vet 36. The ends of the strip are bent back at an acute angle to the circle at the point where the two side parts come together, as best shown in FIG. 3, forming upwardly diverging cam surfaces 46. The cam surfaces 46 preferably have an included angle of about degrees between them, but this is not critical, and the included angle can be considerably greater or less than 90 degrees. Preferably, the cam surfaces 46 also extend outwardly in diverging relationship for a sufficient distance that the total span of the cam surfaces at their outer ends is approximately equal to or greater than the diameter of the bar 16. This allows the cam surfaces to pass upwardly on either side of the bar 16 and to be tangent to the latter at a point sufiiciently high up that the pressure of the bar exerts a spreading effect on the two side parts of the holder. The outer ends of the spring stnp are bent back down toward the circle at 48, and contact the outside surface of the latter, to brace and stiffen the outer ends of the cam surfaces.

The method of attaching the hanger to the bar 16 is as follows: The hanger is merely thrust upwardly against the underside of the bar 16, causing the bar to contact both of the cam surfaces 46 and spread the ends of the holder apart. In FIG. 1, the ends of the holder 14 have just begun to open. In FIG. 2, the ends of the holder have opened wide enough to pass the bar 16 between them. In FIG. 3, the ends of the holder have passed over the widest part of the bar 16, and have closed together over the top of the bar, forming a substantially closed loop that completely surrounds the bar. The hanger now hangs from the bar on the substantially horizontal surfaces formed by the undersides of the two side units of the holder immediately adjacent the abutting portions of the strip. The strip 42 is sufficiently stiff and strong to hold any average garment without bending appreciably.

To remove the hanger 10 from the bar 16, the hanger is given a downward tug, which overcomes the resistance of the spring strip 42 and causes the abutting portions to bend upwardly, at which point the downwardly sloping sides of the bar have a further camming action, causing the two side parts of the holder to be spread apart as the holder slides down off the bar. As the abutting portions of the holder slip past the point of maximum width on the bar 16, the spring resilience of the strip causes the abutting portions to come together.

Another embodiment of the invention, designated by the reference numeral 10', is illustrated in FIG. 4, to which attention is now directed. In this case, the holder 14' comprises two separate pieces 50, each of which is pivotally connected to the shoulder bar 12 by means of a pin 52. Each of the pieces 50 has a generally semi-circular portion 54, the two cooperating to form a substantially closed loop which is adapted to surround a supporting bar 16. Near their upper ends, the two pieces 50 terminate in pointed noses 56 which abut against one another, as shown in the drawing. Above the noses 56 are upwardly diverging cam surfaces 58, which are similar to cam surfaces 46 of the first-described embodiment. Here again, the included angle between cam surfaces 58 is preferably of the order of 90 degrees, and the total span between the outer ends of the cam surfaces is approximately equal to or greater than the diameter of the bar 16.

Projecting downwardly from the bottom ends of the members 54 are extensions 60 having knob-like protuberances 62 on their facing sides. A compression coil spring 64 is confined between the extensions 60, and its ends are telescoped over the protuberances 62 to hold the spring in place. The spring 64 exerts an outward thrust against the extensions 60, and this causes the upper ends of the pieces 50 to be resiliently urged toward one another.

The mode of operation of this embodiment is the same as in the preceding embodiment. The hanger is thrust upwardly against the supporting bar 16, and the latter acts against the inclined cam surfaces 58 to spread the two pieces 50 apart, against the resistance of spring 64. As the pointed noses 56 pass the point of maximum width in the bar 16, the spring 64 causes the upper ends of the pieces 50 to close together over the top of bar 16, and the holder is then connected to the bar, with the relatively flat undersides of the abutting nose portions 56 resting on the top side of the bar. To remove the hanger 10' from the bar 16, the hanger is given a downward tug, which causes the sloping top side of the bar to cam the pieces 50 apart.

From the foregoing, it will be seen that the present invention provides a hanger that is extremely convenient and effortless to use. The holder is merely thrust upwardly against the underside of the supporting bar to connect the holder thereto, and is tugged downwardly to remove the hanger from the bar. The amount of force required to connect the holder to the bar or to remove it therefrom is relatively slight. The shape and arrangement of the cam surfaces make the holder self-centering with respect to the supporting bar, and it is not necessary to have the holder exactly aligned with the bar. As a matter of fact, the holder can be considerably off to one side of the center of the bar, and still connect thereto, as the sloping cam surfaces will always tend to align the holder with the bar.

While I have shown and described in considerable detail what l believe to be the preferred embodiments of the invention, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the invention is not limited to such details, but may take various other forms.

What is claimed is:

l. A garment hanger adapted to be connected to a supporting bar, comprising:

an elongated shoulder bar having downwardly sloping portions extending from the center thereof and being shaped to hold a garment;

a holder at the midpoint of said shoulder bar, consisting of a piece of spring metal strip bent into a substantially full circle and connected at its midpoint to said shoulder bar, the end portions of said spring strip being bent back at an acute angle to the outside of said circle to form upwardly diverging elongated cam surfaces which are engageable by a supporting bar when said holder is thrust upwardly thereagainst, said cam surfaces being operable to spread the ends of said spring strip apart so as to allow a supporting bar to pass between them, said cam surfaces being closely adjacent each other at their inner ends and widely spaced apart at the outer ends;

the extremities of said spring strip being bent back in opposite directions toward and abutting against the outer surface of the circle to brace and stifien the outer ends of said carn surfaces.

i i l 

1. A garment hanger adapted to be connected to a supporting bar, comprising: an elongated shoulder bar having downwardly sloping portions extending from the center thereof and being shaped to hold a garment; a holder at the midpoint of said shoulder bar, consisting of a piece of spring metal strip bent into a substantially full circle and connected at its midpoint to said shoulder bar, the end portions of said spring strip being bent back at an acute angle to the outside of said circle to form upwardly diverging elongated cam surfaces which are engageable by a supporting bar when said holder is thrust upwardly thereagainst, said cam surfaces being operable to spread the ends of said spring strip apart so as to allow a supporting bar to pass between them, said cam surfaces being closely adjacent each other at their inner ends and widely spaced aparT at the outer ends; the extremities of said spring strip being bent back in opposite directions toward and abutting against the outer surface of the circle to brace and stiffen the outer ends of said cam surfaces. 